Organic Black Coffee at the Arendelle Cafe
by Marzos
Summary: Kristoff makes ends meet playing music three times a week at the Arendelle Cafe. One day his best friend Hans brings in his new girlfriend Anna Summers. She seems nice enough, but Kristoff can't shake the feeling that there's something she's not telling...(Hans/Anna and Kristoff/Anna. My take on the modern coffee shop AU. Hope you enjoy and review!)
1. Chapter 1

Coffee Shop

There were a lot of rumors surrounding where Oaken Arendelle had come from.

The rumors were almost inevitable, given his business. Oaken was a man who looked like he lived on a diet of meat and potatoes, a behemoth of a man who would have terrified his customers if not for his easy-going demeanor and taste in flamboyant sweaters. He was the type you'd imagine owning a butcher shop—not a café, and certainly not one like the Arendelle Café.

It became sort of a running joke with the kids that frequented the place after school. After settling into the zebra printed sphere chairs in the middle of the shop, they would create increasingly ridiculous theories.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Hans said one day, sipping the organic black coffee in his hands, "He used to live in Alaska. But then he killed a man, so he changed his name and ran here to escape the police. He opened a café to throw them off the scent."

Kristoff just rolled his eyes. "I find it hard to believe Oaken has killed anyone, Hans. We're talking about a guy who likes to dress up as Santa and visit children's hospitals."

Hans considered it for a moment. "…Maybe it was an accident."

"How do you accidentally kill a man?"

"He was hunting and mistook him for a moose." Hans answered, smirking. "See, it all fits."

"Whatever man," Kristoff answered, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't like talking about Oaken…the truth was, he owed a lot to him. The Arendelle Café had a small stage in the back, and Kristoff played guitar there three times a week to make extra cash. Sometimes Oaken's pay was the only reason he could afford to pay rent that month. "Shouldn't you be getting back to work anyway? I got to get set up."

Hans punched his best friend playfully on the shoulder, getting out of his seat. "Fine, I'll leave you to—wait!" He fell back down, lacing his fingers together, and leaned into the blond secretively. "I almost forgot something. And it is awesome."

"What?"

"I'm bringing a date here tomorrow."

"A date?" Kristoff repeated, crumpling up the recycled paper cup and shooting it into a trashcan without looking. "I thought you would have worked your way through every attractive girl in the school by now."

"Oh, I did," Hans answered seriously. "She just moved here. She's living with her sister or something-I don't know. The point is, she was looking for a job and I got her an interview with Oaken. So tomorrow I'm going to bring her. Are you going to be here?"

"Yeah…not really in the mood to be third wheel while you try to put the moves on some girl."

"I don't want you to hang out with us. Just play your guitar—"

"It's a lute," Kristoff interrupted.

"Fine. Your—" Here Hans raised his pinkie finger in the air and finished with a fake girlish voice, "_Lute_. Can you just do me this favor? I really want this to go well, and it's either you or some lame slam-poet."

Kristoff smiled. "Well, alright."

"You'll do it then?" Hans asked, getting up and extending a hand to him.

"Sure Hans," Kristoff grabbed the hand, pulling himself up. "I'll help you get laid."

"Hey, that's what friends do, right?" Hans said, grinning. But before Kristoff could answer, a shadow seemed to engulf him. The owner of that shadow clomped a large hand on Kristoff's shoulder. He was no weakling by any means, but it took all of his strength not to buckle his knees from the force.

"Kristoff!" Oaken boomed, "How are you?"

"Uh—great, sir," Kristoff answered. "You?"

"Wonderful! I just added a new item to the menu."

"What is it?"

"Pine needle tea!" Oaken answered. "I've been meaning to add tea to the menu for quite some time, actually. Very good, pine needle tea. Nutritious and energizing. It was the drink of choice where I come from."

Kristoff nodded placidly. "Well, I'll buy some after I play here tomorrow."

"Of course not!" Oaken admonished, "You play, you get tea. Consider it part of your payment." He nodded curtly, as though the matter was settled and as far as he was concerned, Kristoff didn't have the right to refuse. He turned his attention then to Hans; his eyes narrowed slightly.

"I actually came to ask you where you were," Oaken said. "Your break ended twenty minutes ago Hans. I come out and no one is behind the counter and customers are waiting. Time is money, yes?"

"Right Oaken," Hans muttered.

"If you want your friend to use you as a reference, I would hope you would make sure you're a _good_ reference." He answered.

"Of course," Hans said again. Kristoff noticed the subtle twitch in the teenager's jaw.

The giant nodded, lumbering away. Hans turned to his friend. "Did you see that? He threatened me!" He jammed his hands in his pockets. "I swear Kristoff, if I didn't need this job…"

"Dude, you hate being told what to do by everyone," Kristoff pointed out. "I don't think it's this job that's the problem."

"Well, I get enough of it from home—see you later." He walked away, "And hey, don't forget to play your guitar tomorrow!"

"Hey, wait!" Kristoff called out. "This girl—what's her name anyway?"

Hans grinned. "Her name is Anna Summers." He said, looking over his shoulder. With one swift motion he jumped over the counter, almost kicking one person who was in line in the head. He flashed a charming smile, and started trying to convince that same customer that he didn't want a coffee for two dollars—he really wanted an organic mocha chocolate cacao latte for eight dollars. His skill at selling product was the only reason Oaken put up with his attitude.

Kristoff walked back outside, grabbed his bike, grabbed the leash of his dog he had tied around a streetlamp, and set off down the street, mentally making up a set list of songs for tomorrow afternoon.


	2. Chapter 2

Kristoff had never been a fan of Hans's girlfriends. Most of them were the same, dumb ditzy girls Hans ran around for a few weeks and then ignored their calls until they got the hint.

The few that stood out ended particularly badly. There was Meg, who got so mad when Hans showed his true colors—he was Kristoff's best friend, but there was no denying he could be a jackass—that the relationship ended that night with a killer right hook and a black eye that did not belong to her. There was Pocahontas, an eco-nut, and that ended with Hans losing ten pounds from going on a vegan diet to convince her that he loved animals. That had to have been Kristoff's least favorite girlfriend.

Oddly enough, the nicest girl Hans had ever dated was also the one that ended the worst. Her name was Rapunzel—she was homeschooled, and rumors went around that her mother wouldn't even let her leave her house without her, let alone date. Hans set out to be her boyfriend, sneaking into her room at night, just because he knew the mother would kill him if he were caught. They only snuck out together once, to go to the café with Kristoff and a bunch of friends. Then her mother came in screaming and started chasing Hans around with a frying pan. And, as if to add insult to injury, their friend Eugene comforted Rapunzel when she ran outside sobbing and _he_ ended up dating her instead.

So as Kristoff tuned his lute, waiting for this new mystery girl, he wasn't exactly optimistic about his chances of liking her.

"Check, one, two, three…" Kristoff said into the mike. He gave the instrument a few strums, nodding in satisfaction when it sounded like it was properly tuned.

"Ready Sven?" Kristoff asked, grinning down at the Great Dane lying obediently at his feet. The dog lifted his head, tongue lolling out. That was another thing about Oaken—he had no problem with Sven coming in once and while as long as he was well behaved. If he left the dog home he would have destroyed everything in the apartment.

He was just getting ready to begin when he finally heard the ding of the bell hanging in front of the door. Hans walked through it confidently, covered head to toe in dirt. One arm was resting on the waist of a girl.

"This," Hans stated, making a sweeping gesture with his arm, "Is where I work. So? What do you think?"

Anna looked around the place in awe. "It's so cute!" She said, clapping her hands a little in excitement. "It kind of looks like nothing goes together, but that just makes it unique, you know?" That was definitely a true statement. The Café looked like it was designed half by a hipster and half by a mountaineer.

"I thought you'd like it," Hans answered. "See that over there?" He pointed to a moose head on the wall. "We named him Lucky."

Anna giggled. "So, where is the guy that's interviewing me?"

"Oh, I'll go get him in a minute," Hans said flippantly. "There's someone else I wanted you to meet—Kristoff!" Hans gave him a wave. "I'd like you to meet Anna. Kristoff here has been my best friend since kindergarten."

She came up to about Hans's shoulder, with messy red hair she had twisted into a braid. Her blue cardigan wasn't buttoned up all the way, and Kristoff took note of the fact that she was wearing a One Direction t-shirt.

Anna smiled nervously, raising a hand and wiggling her fingers at him. "Hello Kristoff!" She chirped.

Kristoff acknowledged her with a nod of the head, but Hans was a much more pressing matter. "Christ Hans, what happened to you?"

"Hockey," Hans said, shrugging, pointing to the hockey shirt he was wearing.

"How do you get covered with dirt from playing ice hockey _inside_?"

Hans grinned, taking his hand off Anna's shoulder and crossing his arms. "Well, I _accidentally _elbowed one of the players during the game. When we were all going back outside to leave, he thought he'd pay me back."

"Did you win?"

"Of course I won," Hans said, dismissing Kristoff's remark with a wave of his hand, "I had twelve older brothers to deal with Kristoff. The guy didn't know what hit him." He put his arm around Anna again, pulling her close.

"I'm going to go get Oaken," Hans said, "Just relax! You'll do fine." He gave her a chaste kiss on the nose, covering it with dirt. Anna watched him walk over to the counter with a dreamy expression on her face, not even realizing it was there.

"Uh…you got something on your face," Kristoff pointed out.

"I do? Oh!" Anna blushed in embarrassment, wiping her face off with her hand. "Thank you."

They stayed in an awkward silence for a moment. "So…" Kristoff started, "How did you guys meet?" It seemed like a good question to ask, and sure enough, Anna's face lit up.

"I'm new here," Anna explained, "And I was walking around campus trying to get my bearings…I was trying to read a map of the high school and carry my books at the same time when I didn't realize I had stepped into the street."

"Wait, are you telling me you were almost hit by a _car_?" Kristoff gasped. Even Sven raised his head and paid closer attention.

"That's the thing! A car was coming at me, and I didn't even realize it until it was too late for me to get out of the way, when someone grabbed my hood—I was wearing a hoodie—and pulled me backwards." She sighed happily. "Hans saved my life. We just started talking after that and he offered to get me an interview here." She shrugged. "So here I am-I love your dog by the way," She kneeled down, letting her petite manicured fingers brush the dog's head.

"Sven's friendly," Kristoff offered, even though Anna probably figured that already if she was petting him. "He likes it when you scratch him behind the ears."

Anna did just though, giving a small 'awww' of delight when the animal's tongue lolled out. "I have a dog too," Anna said, "His name is Olaf. He's a Samoyed and he is just the cutest thing _ever._" She gushed about her love of dogs for a few minutes, and Kristoff nodded politely, having stopped paying attention early on.

Anna stopped mid-sentence, blushing again. "Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I? I do that sometimes. I'm kind of an awkward mess. Sometimes." She looked away, rubbing her arm nervously, at a loss for words. "So, uh…what about you? What music do you play? I never saw anyone play a lute before."

Her knowledge of lutes having earned Kristoff's respect, he was about to talk about his music when Hans returned with Oaken.

"And here she is!" Hans said, introducing her. "Anna, this is my boss."

"Really? Awesome! Nice to meet you Mr. Arendelle!" Anna extended a hand, looking up at him. Hans sidled in next to her, whispering in her ear, 'remember, he can smell fear'.

"Please, call me Oaken!" Oaken exclaimed, enveloping Anna's hand with his and giving it a vigorous shake. Anna came out of the handshake looking like she had ran over a speed bump at a hundred miles an hour. "Mr. Arendelle is too formal, yes?"

"Yes! Absolutely. Mr. Oaken. I mean Oaken," Anna stammered. "Sorry, I'm just nervous. I'm kind of new…everywhere," Anna finished, gesturing vaguely to the room.

"That's not a problem. You are looking for a job?"

"Yep!" Anna took a deep breath, preparing for the interview.

Oaken just nodded. "Can you carry more than one drink at a time?"

"Uh, if I use one of those trays, sure?"

"Are you comfortable wearing an apron?"

"Why not?"

"Can you make change?"

"Sure," Anna answered, deciding she could always use the calculator on her cell phone if it turned out she was wrong.

"Then you're hired!" Oaken finished. Anna stared at him in shock.

"Wait, really? That's it?"

"Well, you already have a recommendation from my only other employee," Oaken answered. "You start tomorrow." A customer was ringing a bell for service, and Oaken nodded again, walking away.

"Oh, Hans! I can't believe it!" She threw her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek. "You're wonderful! I mean, um…thank you." She finished, blushing.

Hans just looked at her, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "It was no problem," he said softly, making the red-head almost shiver. Kristoff wanted to gag. "But here!" He lifted a coffee in the air. "Let's celebrate! After all, you're not going to work here until you had your first taste of Arendelle Café coffee."

Anna took the cup from his hands, lifting it to her lips—and almost immediately made a strangled noise in her throat. It took all her willpower not to spit out the bitter liquid, but the cup fell on the floor, splattering Hans's pants with scolding hot coffee.

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Anna exclaimed, picking the coffee cup off the floor. "I wasn't expecting it to taste so bitter. I, uh, kind of never had coffee before." She smiled sheepishly. Hans forced the smile to stay on his face.

"Why don't we just get some napkins," He said evenly, "And then I need to go home and change my clothes." He looked at Kristoff. "Sorry we couldn't stay longer."

"It's fine," Kristoff said, thankful that none of the coffee had landed on him.

"I'll come with you." Anna insisted. Hans obliged, putting his arm around her again. As they walked away, Anna remembered to look over her shoulder.

"See you Christopher; it was nice to meet you!" She said, waving goodbye. Kristoff raised a hand in response, staring at the two strangely.

Anna seemed nice enough. She certainly wasn't ugly. But she had to have been the farthest thing from Hans's type he could have possibly chosen. She was awkward, clumsy, and Hans had vowed to never date another red head after Ariel dumped him to move to Denmark with some exchange student. Rapunzel hadn't exactly been an expert on social graces, but he had only been seeing her for the adrenaline rush. As far as he knew no one threatened to kill Hans for seeing Anna.

So what exactly was with this girl?


	3. Chapter 3

Kristoff found himself, all of a sudden, getting a lot of money.

He didn't think much of it at first. He always left his instrument case open when he played, and occasionally people would throw in change. It was never very lucrative; Kristoff never got more than ten dollars a night thrown at him.

It started off slowly. After he was finished playing, he'd left to use the bathroom. He came back to find a few dollars thrown into his case. When he had gotten home and smoothed the bills out, he found that they were all ten dollar bills. He had made fifty dollars.

That started happening consistently; every time he left he'd come back to find increasingly large amounts of money in that case. Fifty, seventy, ninety, until one day his mouth gaped open in shock when he saw _two hundred dollars _in there.

"Why do you care who's giving it to you?" Hans asked one day. "Just enjoy it!"

"Who randomly throws out hundreds of dollars at people though?" Kristoff asked. "Hans, you and Anna had to have seen someone throw money in here, right?"

"Can't say I have," Hans said, and Anna, who was nestled snuggly in the crook of his arm, nodded in agreement. "We don't really pay attention to the stage, no offense."

It bothered Kristoff. Sure, he needed the money, but he just didn't feel right taking that much from a total stranger. He at least wanted to know who it was.

"Well, I got to get back to work before Oaken finds out I took a break—you coming Anna?"

"My shift ended," Anna said, frowning, "But I'll wait for you to get done! You've only got, like, fifteen minutes left anyway."

"Still on for the movie?"

"Absolutely!" Hans kissed her, and Anna's eyes fluttered shut as they embraced. Kristoff cleared his throat.

"Get a room guys," Kristoff said, punching his friend good naturedly on the shoulder.

"You're just jealous," Hans answered, laughing. "I'll see you Ann." He walked away, and Kristoff couldn't help but find it a little ridiculous; Anna was still staying in the shop. It wasn't like they couldn't still see each other.

"Bye," Anna said softly, a huge dopey grin spreading across her face. She realized after a moment that Kristoff was still there.

"So, what do you like to play?" She asked, trying to make small talk. Kristoff shrugged.

"You know, usual coffee shop stuff," He answered. "Jason Mraz, Coldplay, John Mayer..."

"I didn't realize there was usual 'coffee shop music'." Anna said.

"Well, it's stuff that's relaxing," Kristoff said, "I mean, you've never gone into a place and heard heavy metal scream-o, have you?"

"I guess not," Anna answered, giggling a little at the thought.

It was then that Sven lifted his head up, nudging Kristoff's leg and whining.

"Is your dog okay?" Anna asked.

"He's fine—just needs to go out." Kristoff grabbed his leash, pulling the dog up to its feet. "Give me a second."

Whistling, he walked out, finding a small patch of grass for Sven to do his business. As soon as he was done Kristoff turned to walk back in—then he stopped.

If this mystery money person always waited until he wasn't there…

Kristoff crept up to the window, peeking inside.

"What the…?"

Anna was standing over his instrument case, opening her wallet, dumping in a wad of bills. As quickly as she did it, she walked back to a chair and sat down.

_She_ was the one giving him money?

Kristoff walked in, leaving Sven tied to a bike rack near the entrance. Anna waved, about to say something, until Kristoff stomped over and sat in the chair next to her.

"Kris, are you okay?" Anna asked—she had taken to calling him Kris, since she always forgot his name wasn't Christopher—"You look sort of angry."

"I am!" Kristoff exclaimed. "I saw you throw the money into my instrument case—"

"Shhh!" Anna leaned over, placing a hand over his mouth, looking over to the counter to make sure Hans hadn't overheard. She smiled sheepishly, leaning back again. "Sorry. But can you be quieter, please? I don't want Hans to hear that."

Kristoff forced himself down to a whisper. "Why have you been giving me so much money?"

"It's just…I mean…" Anna rubbed her arm uncomfortably, shifting in her seat, biting her lower lip. "Hans told me about you—how you quit high school and all the odd jobs you do to make money—and I thought you'd like some help. You're my boyfriend's best friend, you know?" She blushed in embarrassment.

"Well, why did you wait until I wasn't there?"

"I didn't want to make you feel bad," Anna explained, "Or make you feel like I pitied you or something…also, I didn't want you to tell Hans. He can get kind of jealous sometimes and I was afraid of what he'd think."

Kristoff shook his head—how was anyone that nice? She seriously was only giving him _hundreds _of dollars because she wanted to do something nice for him?

"…Thank you," Kristoff finally said reluctantly—because Anna was right. He didn't like being given charity money, at least by people he knew. He didn't feel like he earned it. "But Anna, I can't let you keep giving me so much. You can't go broke just so I don't."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Anna said flippantly, "I have plenty of money." To prove her point, she opened her wallet. It was full of twenties and fifties. "See?"

Kristoff could only stare in shock. "How did—"

"Hey guys!" They were interrupted by Hans, putting his arms on Anna's shoulders. Maybe it was Anna's jealousy comment making him biased, but Kristoff thought he saw him squeeze them protectively as he looked at him. "Shift's over; what were you two talking about?"

Kristoff looked at Anna, who looked back at him with a nervous smile.

"You won't believe what Anna just told me," Kristoff said. Anna mouth opened slightly in shock. "She just showed me her wallet. Hans, why is your girlfriend working as a barista when she's rich?"

He could see the tension drain from Anna's face. Hans just grinned.

"Oh, she's loaded," Hans answered. "Her parents…what did they do again—"

"Snow," Anna said, "They sold equipment to make fake snow. You know, in like indoor ski resorts and stuff? My sister took it over when they died…"

"—Right. As for why she works here, she said it gets her out of the house—"

"—And I get to spend more time with you." Anna finished. Hans gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Exactly. Ready for the movie?"

Anna got up, taking her boyfriend's hand. "Where are you going Kristoff?" Hans asked, "You can come if you want."

"Naw, I got Sven with me," Kristoff answered. Something then occurred to him as he looked Hans. "Out of curiosity…who'd be paying for my ticket?"

"Well, I'm paying for Hans," Anna said, "Why?"

Kristoff looked at Hans. He looked like he was about to say something; then he stopped. "No reason. See you guys." He walked back, placing his lute back in its case. As he watched the retreating backs of his two friends, and grabbed the money that had been gifted to him, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Anna.

He had finally solved the mystery of what Hans saw in her.


	4. Chapter 4

"You know, at first I thought it tasted pretty awful, but I'm starting to like the taste of coffee," Anna took a sip from her mug. "Mmmm…coffee-y?"

They were sitting together during break that day with some friends; Anna had actually managed to make a lot of them. "It's because you're so beautiful," Hans had pointed out to her once when she had voiced her excitement. "It makes up for the awkwardness."

"Ha, thank you." Anna had said, and she kissed him, and for the rest of the night would act particularly self-conscious. Kristoff noticed that one friend in particular would always give Hans the evil eye when he said things like that.

Anna's best friend was another ginger, a Scottish girl named Merida, who she had met when she had tried out for archery club. It didn't pan out—the arrow was so off-mark that it ended up tangled in Merida's voluminous hair—but the two remained fast friends.

"I take Oaken's croissants home all the time," Merida said, "My brothers love them—the only thing that keeps the little devils from runnin' around the house. Yesterday they almost tackled me for them though."

The three others sitting with them laughed; Merida continued. "Sometimes I'm jealous of you Anna. I wish _I_ was the youngest in my family."

"Oh, you know, my sister wouldn't like it," Anna said breezily, but she gripped her mug tighter uneasily. "She pretty much never leaves the house."

"Trust me Merida," Hans said, "It's not as good as it sounds. Two of my older brothers pretended I didn't exist for two _years_."

"Hans!" Anna gasped, "You never told me that." She nuzzled her face in his neck, and Hans nodded sadly, and then looked at Kristoff with a smirk. He wasn't lying, but he was certainly playing it up for sympathy points.

But Kristoff couldn't help but feel strangely curious about the older sister. In the two months Hans and Anna had been dating, and hanging out with him here every day, the only time he'd even heard her mentioned before this was when Hans said she lived with her the day before he brought her in.

"What is your sister like, anyway?" Kristoff asked. Anna lifted her head, causing Hans to pout a little in disappointment. "You don't talk about her much."

"Oh, you know—I mean, I don't know, there isn't really that much to talk about." Anna said quickly. "She just stays inside most of the time, with her business and everything—Merida, did you ever hear Kristoff play?" Anna turned her attention to her friend. "He takes request and everything!"

He brought it up a few times with Hans afterward—didn't it bother him that there was a sister he never met?—but Hans shrugged it off.

"Maybe Anna's sister is a ! #$%^&*," Hans said, "I know I hate talking about my brothers."

"I mean, I'm just saying she won't even mention her by _name._"

"I think it's Ellie or something—why do you care anyway?" Hans looked at him dubiously. "You seem a little too interested."

The truth was he felt a bit of an obligation to Hans. They were bros, and if Hans and Anna were going to continue diving head first stupidly in love with each other—or at least Anna was, he still wasn't entirely sure of Hans's motives—it was his job, as his bro, to bring things up he should notice. Like a crazy older sister, for instance.

Of course he didn't say that. Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Yeah Hans, Anna and I are hooking up. We were making out in the corner over there when you turned your back to get someone a straw."

Hans was a little surlier toward Kristoff for a few days after that.

* * *

One night, Anna made a blender explode.

It wasn't entirely her fault; Oaken had decided he wanted to extend the menu to include smoothies, but he seemed to think they would be fine using a second hand blender that he had found at a garage sale for five dollars.

When a customer came in and requested a banana smoothie, Anna tried to get it to work. She had finally finished cramming in the cream, ice, and banana, only to find that when she pressed 'liquefy' it wouldn't work.

"Stupid blender," She grumbled, taking the top off so she could find why it was stuck—

_Whiiiiiiiiirrrrrr!_

And the blender decided to turn on while the lid was off. Pieces of banana and cream went flying all over the room. Oaken walked out when he heard the noise and got smoothie slathered in his mutton chops.

"We'll give you a free coffee," Hans said to the customer, now covered in it himself. The customer just walked out the door without answering…and honestly, Hans couldn't blame him.

"Heeey, Oaken…" Hans said, forcing a charming smile. "This is the kind of funny story you go home and tell your kids about, am I right?"

Oaken didn't answer at first; he slapped his hand on his face, wiping off cream and banana. _"Did you do this Hans?" _He roared.

"It was me!" Anna squeaked nervously, staring up at the 250 pound man. Immediately Oaken's gaze softened; it was no secret that he liked Anna better.

"Clean…this…up," He growled, trying to stay calm. "And don't leave until you do. Both of you."

"But Oaken, our shift just ended!" Hans protested—then shut his mouth quickly when Oaken gave him a withering glare before stomping out the door. Once Kristoff finished his bout of laughter—luckily he wasn't in the splash zone—he took pity on the two and offered to help.

"Sven likes cleaning up anyway," Kristoff told them, and the dog set to work licking up any spilled liquid his tongue could reach.

"I can't believe you Anna!" Hans complained, "We were just about to go home, and you had to pull this—"

"It's not like I woke up and decided 'hey I want to make a blender explode' Hans…" Anna tried to reach past him, for a towel. Hans grabbed her arm and shoved her away.

"I got it," he snapped. "You'll just find a way to make it worse."

Anna bit her lower lip as Hans set off trying to clean the entire mess himself. Kristoff leaned over the counter.

"Hans thinks he's perfect at everything," Kristoff whispered. "It's not a big deal Anna."

Anna twisted a lock of red hair between her fingers. "He's right," She answered, "I'm a complete mess. I didn't used to realize how bad it was…I'm just lucky Hans puts up with me sometimes." She seemed to look not directly at Kristoff, but a little past him, like she was lost in thought.

Feeling increasingly uncomfortable at the exchange, Kristoff turned his direction back to Sven, looking at him as he gave him a pat on the head.

"So you said your dog's name is Olaf?" He said, trying to change the subject. Anna snapped back to reality, lips curling into an almost imperceptible smile.

"Yeah. He loves it when people hug him. Does Sven like other dogs?"

"Loves everyone. But I'm not sure if getting a great Dane to play with a Samoyed is such a great idea…"

Anna laughed, and she seemed to come out of the bad mood her brief fight with Hans put her in. They started swapping stories about their pets, not even realizing when another hour had passed.

"Oh, don't mind me guys," Hans said casually, "Just, you know, cleaning up this entire mess myself."

"You're the one that wanted to do it yourself," Kristoff pointed out, and Anna nodded hesitantly in agreement. Hans just grumbled again.

"Well, we can finish tomorrow or something. I'm going to go and see if I can clean myself up—"

The sound of the bell next to the door reverberated through the quiet space. The three friends all turned toward the noise; Kristoff and Hans looked confused. Anna looked like she was in shock.

The young woman stood in the doorway, one hand resting lightly on the door frame. She was thin, with dark circles under her eyes and blond hair that fell in frizzy unkempt ringlets down past her shoulders. She looked absolutely exhausted.

"I'm looking for Anna…?" The woman said softly. "Is she in here?" The realization hit Kristoff and Hans at the same time; they looked at each other. Kristoff couldn't help but take notice of how similar the two sisters looked if you took the time to look closely…

"Uh, she's right here," Kristoff said, realizing that he was hiding Anna behind his large frame. He stepped to the side.

"Hey Elsa," Anna said, just as softly. "What are you doing here?"

"You were late," Elsa's eyes shone with concern. She took another step into the shop. "You said you were coming home at eight. It's nine now. I got worried." If she noticed the fact that she was covered in banana and heavy cream, she didn't acknowledge it.

"I'm sorry," Anna said stiffly, looking like she was looking at a ghost—Elsa almost resembled one with how pale she was. "I was just about to leave."

"You should have called me." Elsa tried, and failed to convey a maternal tone.

"I'll be back outside in a minute," Anna answered. "Just…just wait outside, okay?"

Elsa eyed Hans and Kristoff suspiciously. "…Okay. I'm right outside. It was nice to meet the two of you," She finished, giving a curt nod to the two men before walker outside, sneakers squeaking on the tile floor.

Anna looked like she was about to cry.

"Anna…" Hans said softly, putting a hand on her back. "What's wrong?" He looked at Kristoff. "Get Anna a glass of water," He ordered, and Kristoff obliged.

Losing the battle with herself, Anna started to cry softly. "You don't understand," She said. Kristoff came back with the water, and Anna took a shaky sip, forcing herself to swallow. "I'm not crying because I'm upset. I'm crying because I'm _happy_."


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, when Anna came in before Hans did to start her shift, Kristoff wasn't sure what to say to her. She had left quietly with her sister the night before, and Hans had failed to get her to explain exactly why she was crying; she wasn't able to speak properly. All they knew was that she said it was a good thing.

'Could have fooled me' Kristoff thought to himself. The red head walked through the door; her apron was already tied around her waist, a dusting of flower in her face and hair. Kristoff was the only one there. The Arendelle Café made enough to stay open, but business wasn't exactly booming.

Kristoff gave her a strange look. Anna took notice. "Home economics class," she said, "I thought it'd be an easy A. I was wrong."

Kristoff laughed, and Anna smiled. But Kristoff couldn't help it; he had to make sure she was alright.

"Hey, listen Anna…" He rubbed his arm awkwardly. "I don't know exactly what went on with you last night, and you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to, but…I mean, you're Hans's girlfriend and I want to make sure you're okay."

He stumbled through it, feeling embarrassed when he was finished. Anna's eyebrows raised in mild surprise.

"Thank you…" she said hesitantly. "Thank you Kris." She walked over to the counter, setting everything up for customers. Kristoff settled back in his chair, accepting that Anna probably wouldn't say anything—

"That was the first time my sister has left our house."

"What?"

"About my sister…since I moved here she hasn't left the house. That's why I was so shocked when she came for me."

She turned to pour a pot of coffee into a mug. "Want some Kris?" She asked, holding it out. Kristoff took it as a sign that the conversation was over. He nodded, taking the mug in his hands.

"Thanks Anna."

"No problem…Kristoff…?"

He smiled humorously. "Yep." Anna grinned.

"Whooo! I finally remember it!" She said, clapping her hands a little in delight. "You know, since I told you something, you should tell me something."

Kristoff sat down in a chair at the counter, taking a sip. "What do you want to know?"

"How come you quit high school? I mean, you're a really good musician," she started counting off on her fingers. "You seem really smart, you look like you're a great athlete…" Anna blushed slightly when she realized the accidental implications of what she said. "It—it's just, you seem like you would have done well in high school." She stammered.

Kristoff shrugged. "I don't know. Probably because I was failing every subject except woodshop and gym. High school isn't fun when you get told how stupid you are every day, you know?"

"But you're not stupid!" Anna protested. "I mean, if I can be in high school when I'm all—" she made some flailing motions. Kristoff chuckled. "Then you must have had an easier time than me. What do you do now?"

"Well, I play here every day now—Oaken pays well," Kristoff answered. "Sometimes I'll work with a moving company, other times I'll mow people's lawns, do some carpentry work…"

"You're a carpenter?"

"Never went to school for it. You'd be amazed how many people don't care if the price is low enough."

Anna nodded. "Elsa runs mom and dad's company from her laptop."

The two chatted easily from there on. It was the easiest conversation the two ever had; at one point Anna laughed so hard, throwing her hands out, that she hit Kristoff in the face.

"Sorry!" She said sheepishly, "Are you alright?"

Kristoff rubbed his eye. "I'm good!" He said. He couldn't help it; he started laughing as well. Anna was so tiny compared to him that an accidental slap didn't harm him at all.

Suddenly a tinny version of 'call me maybe' reverberated from Anna's pocket. She took out her cell phone, flipping it open, and looked at the text.

"Who is it…?" Kristoff asked.

"Hans," Anna said. She smiled widely. "He's asking me if I'm at work." She started texting back.

"'At the Café, yeah," Anna said out loud as she typed; she didn't even need to look down at the phone. It buzzed again thirty seconds later.

"How's it going?" Anna read. She paused for a moment before replying, "Boring. Kristoff is the only other person here right now."

The phone buzzed again; Anna frowned. "'About an hour," Anna replied, typing quickly. Almost immediately the phone buzzed, and Anna said again, more softly, "It's not a big deal, Hans..."

"Anna, is something wrong?" Kristoff asked.

"Uh—yeah. Fine. I think I should take this in the back though…you know, Merida usually shows up around now after archery. Can you tell her I'll be out in a few minutes if she shows up?"

Kristoff barely opened his mouth to answer before Anna scurried into the back room, texting furiously.

He stood at the chair at the counter awkwardly for a few moments, watching her retreating back. He sighed. "Seriously…" he grumbled, but nevertheless got up and went behind the counter, hoping that Merida wouldn't show up—of course he didn't get his wish. A few minutes later she burst through the door, holding the bow and arrow in her hand.

"Hello Kristoff," She said. "Where's Anna?"

"Uh…she's busy." Kristoff answered. "I'll get whatever you want though. Anna is going to be back in a minute."

"…Okay." She hopped onto a chair at the counter, laying the bow at her side. "I'll take a cinnamon scone and a large coffee, with milk and sugar."

Kristoff nodded. He turned around, eyes accosted by the many shelves, filled with jars of spices and flavored coffee mixes.

"Uh…just a second…" Kristoff said, trying to make it look like he knew what he was doing. He grabbed a jar, taking the cap off and giving it a sniff to see if it was cinnamon; he flinched when his nose was burned by the smell of cayenne pepper. What did Oaken make that needed _cayenne pepper? _

"What's Anna doing?" Merida asked, trying to make conversation. Strands of red hair fell into her eyes, and she made an effort to tuck them behind her ear. It soon became apparent that there was far too much hair to control, however, and she eventually gave it up.

"I don't know. She got some texts and she went in the back to answer them—"  
"Was it Hans?" She asked. Kristoff, having finally found the cinnamon, turned his head to look at her as he searched for the scones. She said 'was it Hans' the same way someone might say 'was it a rash'?

"…I think so," He answered. "You don't sound happy about that."

"Of course I don't. Hans is the _devil_." She added defensively, "Not that I blame Anna for it."

Kristoff raised his eyebrows as he crammed coffee grounds into the coffee machine. "How?" He asked.

"Anna is always getting texts from him when he's not with her—he's always like," Here she tried to mimic a whiny, deep male voice. "Where are you? Who are you with? Why didn't you tell me where you're going?"

Kristoff couldn't help but smirk a little, but refused to laugh. It would have been disloyal.

"Anna thinks it's 'sweet'. Well, it's _not_. My mother is the same way. Wantin' to control everythin' she does—somethin' isn't right about it."

Here Merida's eyes flicked toward the door to the back room. She leaned in closer, and whispered. "And what's more, I think he might've hit her a few times."

Kristoff's blood turned to ice. "Really?" He asked, trying to sound unconcerned, maybe even disbelieving. He managed to find the scones in a display case. He watched her, not even noticing when he accidentally dumped half the jar on the scones.

"He must have. A few times at school Hans would see her talkin' to guys, and they'd get into shoutin' matches—well, Anna would usually just get upset while Hans was yellin' of course. Then he'd practically drag her away. They'd come back and Hans would suddenly be the sweetest guy, sayin' he loved her and everythin'. I think," Here her voice started to sound choked. Her anger started to subside into concern. "He hit her, and then started tryin' to make up for it by being so nice."

So there was really no proof, right? Nothing except Merida's intuition. Kristoff didn't say anything.

"Personally, if I were Anna," She continued, "I'd take this bow and shove it—"

Anna opened the door. Merida stopped talking immediately.

"Hey Merida!" Anna said, waving. Merida waved back. "Kristoff, what are you doing?" She gasped. "Thank you and all, but you added too many coffee grounds—the coffee is boiling out of the pot." She set to work, humming a tune as she cleaned up and did Merida's order.

But Kristoff couldn't help but think that there was a look of worry she was trying to hide on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Kristoff didn't want to believe Merida, but he kept a closer eye on Anna nevertheless.

Hans was suspicious of Kristoff. That was…sort of understandable, right? Kristoff and Anna did get along pretty well. Oddly enough, Kristoff did not get confronted by Hans with any accusations or threats; and it wasn't like Hans wasn't capable of that. When Rapunzel left with Eugene, Eugene came to school the next day with a bump on his forehead the size of an egg.

Kristoff guessed that there was one difference: they were best friends. Being Hans's best friend gave you one thing he gave almost no one else, the benefit of the doubt. Shouldn't Kristoff afford him the same thing? Hans wasn't an abuser. He was an asshole sometimes, he'd seen him yell at Anna a few times, and he'd gotten into screaming matches with countless girlfriends before that. But no girl accused him of abusing them.

On the other hand, he never dated a girl for more than a month. Hans and Anna were going on four. Maybe he just never dated a girl long enough for it to escalate past shouting…

_Stop thinking about it,_ Kristoff thought, _Anna is fine. Hans is sitting with her right now and they're so adorable I could puke._

It was true. Oaken had hired more workers, and for one of the first times Hans and Anna had the day off.

"Hey guys!" Kristoff shouted as he tuned his lute, "Why would you guys stay here on your day off, on a Saturday?"

"We're going to leave to see a movie," Hans answered. "And neither of us want to be at our house."

Anna, who was sitting on his lap, nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We're going to see this new movie that's…I'm not sure. But I think it's about people fighting a giant lizard monster, and that sounds awesome."

"Godzilla?" Kristoff asked.

"That's the name," Hans answered. "Anna, you're talking to a connoisseur of lame B-rate monster movies. Once Kristoff and I snuck out to an old movie theatre at midnight to see a screening of 'Attack of the Lizard Space Babes'. Remember that?"

Kristoff laughed. "Yeah. Your parents grounded you for a week and mine practically had a heart attack."

"Good times." Hans said, laughing.

"Was it a good movie?" Anna asked.

"Not for women," Hans answered, eliciting another laugh from Kristoff. "But it was totally worth it for us!" Anna wrinkled her nose in disapproval. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

"One sec Hans," Anna said, flipping open her phone. Kristoff could see that Hans was craning his neck to look over her shoulder.

"Who is Milo?" Hans asked, when Anna flipped her phone closed again.

"He's just a guy who's tutoring me in biology."

"Tutoring you?" Hans asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Anna shifted uncomfortably. "Why are you looking over my shoulder at my text messages?"

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't sneaking around with guys behind my back!" Hans snapped. Anna flinched.

"Hans, calm down," Kristoff said. Anna got up, and Kristoff put a hand on her shoulder protectively. "It's not a big deal."

"Yeah, not to you," Hans retorted.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kristoff asked. "What's your problem?"

"Hans," Anna said gently, "I didn't tell you because, I mean, it's not like we meet outside of school or anything. We just meet during study hall—"

"Then why didn't you tell me? I could have taught you."

"You got, like, a D on the last test," Anna answered, "That's why. If anything you should be asking Milo for lessons too."

Hans crossed his arms, looking down at the ground. Kristoff and Anna attempted to engage him in conversation again, hoping to brighten his mood, but it seemed like the discovery on Anna's cell phone ruined his mood for the night.

"Do you want to go to the movie, or not?" Hans asked.

"Oh, come on Hans, don't be in such a bad mood," Anna said. She looked at Kristoff. "If Hans doesn't start acting better, maybe I'll have to go with you."

"Hey, I don't mind—" Kristoff started, joining in on the joke. Before he could finish, Hans got up.

"Come on Anna," he said, "We're leaving."

"Hans—" Anna started. The auburn-haired boy grabbed Anna's arm. It wasn't sudden, and he didn't squeeze it. He simply curled his fingers around her bicep. Kristoff could see Anna flinch.

"Now, Anna." Hans said again.

Anna frowned. "I'll…I'll see you later Kristoff." Anna said.

"Bye Anna…" Kristoff said, raising his hand as Hans led her out of the café like she was a horse.

"Bastard," Kristoff breathed, clenching his fists.

When Kristoff saw the bruise on Anna's arm the next day, Kristoff had no choice but to accept his best friend's guilt.

She seemed unusually cheery the day he came in, almost like she was trying to convince herself she was happy.

"Hey Kristoff!" Anna greeted, "Check this out." She was shaking plastic cup with a cover on it; inside was a yellow, thick liquid. She stuck her tongue out slightly in concentration, before throwing the cup in the air and catching it behind her back. "Ta-da!"

"Whoa…that was surprising."  
"I know! That's actually the first time I did it right," Anna said, smiling sheepishly. "The last few times…well, this apron is covering a pretty big stain on my shirt. Want a sip?" Anna extended her hand toward him. As he sleeve fell a little, Kristoff could see a nasty purplish bruise.

"Something happen…?" Kristoff asked.

"What? Oh, this," Anna stammered. "A guy bumped into me at the theatre and knocked me into the door. It's not that bad." And then, her tone almost defensive, "Hans gave me his class ring to wear. Isn't it nice?"

Kristoff looked at the garnet stone ring glittering on her finger. "It is," Kristoff answered. "Excuse me for a second."

He couldn't take the suspicion anymore. Kristoff grabbed the smoothie from Anna's hand walked outside. Fishing into his pocket for change, he fumbled with the payphone until he punched in Hans's number.

"….Westergard residence, thirteenth Westergard speaking," Hans said cheerfully.

"Dude,"

"Kristoff! What's up man?"

"What's up with Anna?"

"What do you mean?"

"She came into the café with a nasty bruise."

"That…guy knocked her into a door by accident." Hans said.

"Hans, don't lie to me." Kristoff answered. He desperately wanted Hans to keep denying it. He wanted his best friend to get angry at the accusation, to vehemently deny any involvement.

"…Fine man, I won't lie." Hans answered. "Anna and I got into an argument and things got a little heated. I shoved her and her arm hit the wall."

Kristoff didn't know what to say. If Hans was in front of him, he would have been punched. Finally, he settled on: "Hans! Not. Cool. Man."

"Lay off me Kristoff," Hans said, "Anna already made me feel awful enough about it, alright? I apologized for it the entire night—I even gave her my class ring. She was so happy she practically started crying."

"Hans…"

"Listen bro, you can chew me out later. I have twelve other guys in this house with girlfriends and one phone. You get the picture?"

"Yeah…" The line went dead; Hans hung up. Kristoff just stared down at the street, wondering what he was going to do.

One thing was for sure; he couldn't go back in and face Anna.


	7. Chapter 7

Kristoff's apartment had two rooms. He ate on a hot plate and slept on the floor; Sven used the air mattress. As he rummaged through the fridge for something that could be cooked, he mulled over his options.

So, his best friend was a scum bag. That much he finally accepted. He hit Anna, and admitted he hit Anna, but Kristoff had a feeling that he was the only one Hans trusted enough to tell the truth too. He wasn't stupid; he had to know what he was doing was wrong, right?

But on the other hand…Kristoff remembered all that Hans had done for him. It was him alone that supported Kristoff when he quit high school. Hans let him stay in his house; Hans introduced him to Oaken so that he could make enough money to afford an apartment. In his own smarmy, conceited way, Hans had always been there for him.

Kristoff didn't want Hans to go to jail; he just wanted Anna to be safe.

He finally found a pack of baloney on one of the shelves. Kristoff sat down, plugged his hot plate into the wall, and threw a slice on to start cooking.

What could he do now? If Kristoff talked to Hans, he would just accuse him of wanting Anna for himself. And he didn't want Anna. She was just a friend. A really good friend…

He shook his head. Okay, so Kristoff talking to Hans was out. And Anna was out of the question. All Kristoff would do is alienate her if he suggested that Hans was anything but the perfect boyfriend.

Oaken then? Oaken would fire him. But then what? Hans would keep seeing Anna somewhere else.

A teacher or a police officer was out; Kristoff already decided he didn't want that. Merida already knew, and so far she hadn't done anything.

"Who _can _I tell?" Kristoff said to himself. Smoke started rising from the baloney; he picked it up with a fork, blowing on it to cool it down. When Sven lumbered over, Kristoff broke off a piece for him before stuffing it into his mouth.

"Hmmm…" Kristoff chewed slowly; he gulped it down. He realized there was one person he _hadn't_ thought of. But she would already know, wouldn't she…?

Kristoff didn't know, but he needed to do something. This was, as uncertain as he felt about it, his best option.

"Sven," Kristoff said, grabbing the dog's leash, "We're going for a walk, okay?"

* * *

Having a great dane was awesome when you owned a skateboard. Kristoff had bought it at a pawn shop for ten dollars He was an excellent athlete, so Kristoff never lost his balance zipping around town with Sven pulling him. It was, in Kristoff's sincere opinion, like owning a car that loved you back.

Finding Anna's house was easy enough; he had called Merida on his phone, holding onto Sven's leash with one hand.

"Heeey, Merida. I need a favor."

"What could you want at eight o'clock at night?"

"Anna, uh…she forgot a textbook at the café. Looked like it might be homework. Can you give me her address?"

"Why didn't you just call Anna?"

"Uh—her phone was there too," Kristoff lied. "Pretty forgetful, isn't she?"

From the moment of silence on the other line before Merida conceded to Kristoff's request, he could tell that she was skeptical. But he got the address nevertheless; Kristoff thanked her before hanging up.

As he had suspected, it was in the wealthier part of town. The house was large, mason brick, with a wraparound porch. Kristoff half expected classical music to play when he told Sven to 'stay' and walked up to ring the doorbell.

He was disappointed when it was just a simple buzz. The lights were on, so Kristoff waited patiently for a few minutes; he heard rummaging inside. Finally the door opened to reveal Anna's older sister. She regarded Kristoff with a wary glance.

"Hello…" She said hesitantly.

"Hey," Kristoff answered. "My name is Kristoff. I'm friends with—"

"Anna, I know," She interrupted, nodding, "She's mentioned you, and I remember you from when I came to check on her. But Anna isn't home right now, I'm sorry to say."

"I know. That's exactly why I showed up. I actually wanted to speak to you without Anna knowing."

Elsa glared at him; she took a step back, fingers curling around the door knob. "Listen, Kristoff, you don't seem like a bad guy. But I still don't feel comfortable letting someone I barely know into my house, friend of Anna or not. I'm not interested in having a discussion with you if Anna doesn't know."

She tried to close the door; Kristoff intercepted. He grabbed the door frame.

"Okay, listen," He said angrily, "Your sister is getting slapped around by her boyfriend. That interest you enough to talk to me?"

Elsa looked as though she was the one that was slapped; her jaw went slack, her eyes widening. He could almost hear her heart beating faster.

"Anna…he's hurting her…?" Elsa opened the door, gesturing for Kristoff to come inside. "Tea or coffee?" She said, almost robotically. Kristoff shrugged.

"Um…I don't know. Any soda?" Seeing how freaked out she was, he felt like he should afford her the moment of getting him a drink so that she could let what he said sink in.

"I'll check. You can sit down in the family room—right next to the kitchen, the room with the TV on."

Kristoff walked into the room. He watched Elsa quietly as she searched her fridge, then put tea on the stove for herself.

She wore a yellow paisley shirt and a blue skirt; her braided hair was so light blonde that it was almost white, and looked as soft as goose dander. It was a big difference from the dingy sweats he had seen her in the first time.

He looked around the family room. The TV was turned to Real Housewives; she had made a bowl of popcorn. A small Samoyed—Olaf, he guessed—was curled up like a cat on the couch. She wasn't at all like he was expecting from what Anna had said.

_What _were_ you expecting?_ Kristoff thought to himself, _Elsa curled up in a fetal position in the corner of the room, crying next to a box of tissues?_

He heard a sharp whistling from the tea kettle, and a moment later Elsa returned to the room, holding a can of soda in one hand and a cup of tea in the other. "It's sprite—I hope you don't mind." Elsa said, sitting down on a chair next to the couch he was sitting on.

"It's fine," Kristoff assured her, "I like sprite." He popped open the can, taking a few sips. Elsa took a sip of her tea, smiling slightly at the taste before resting it on the arm of the chair. She leaned forward, lacing her fingers together. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

"Tell me everything you know," Elsa said softly, "Spare me no detail. Please." So Kristoff told her. He explained Hans past history with women, Kristoff's theory of how Hans had started dating Anna for her money, Merida's accusations; the way Anna had flinched when Hans had put his hand on her arm, the bruise he found today, and finally the confession Hans had given Kristoff over the phone.

"So I went home and I tried to figure out what to do," Kristoff finished, "And I thought, you were the only person I could go to. I mean, Hans is my best friend; he's not a horrible guy, he's just…he's just a horrible guy to women."

Elsa's expression was unfathomable. Her eyes stayed closed this entire time; they were squeezed shut so tightly that there were deep wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. Kristoff realized that she was trying to hold back tears.

"Ms. Summers, are you okay...?" He reached a hand out to her; Elsa opened her red, wet eyes and batted it away.

"No, no, I'm fine…and call me Elsa. It's Anna we should be worrying about, isn't it?"

Kristoff nodded. "Yes."

"I had no idea this was happening," Elsa said, "I had no idea, you have to understand. It was entirely my fault this happened." She finally stopped fighting back tears, and they flowed freely down her face. Her voice was remarkably calm despite her crying. "I wasn't there for Anna. If I had been there for her when our parents died, she wouldn't have run into the arms of the first man who gave her attention. If I had been more attentive, I would have realized this was going on and put a stop to it."

Kristoff quietly listened to her speak; he had finished the sprite. He started rubbing the can with his thumb. Elsa, who seemed to appreciate the audience, continued to speak. She described her history with the vague illness Anna had only described as not getting out of bed.

There was pressure from her parents, since she was eight, to excel in schoolwork after she had been asked to skip a grade. She described how she would have weeks where she would feel fine, so happy that one might even call it manic; and then the pressure of school would catch up, and everything would come crashing down. Since her parents had died, she had the longest low period in her life, and she was slowly trying to dig herself out.

"I'd tried medication for it," She finished, "Anna and I had a very big fight about it. It made me feel like I was underwater. Eventually I couldn't handle it anymore and I stopped taking it; maybe if I had still been taking it I would have been able to function better. Maybe I would have seen what was happening."

She buried her head in her hands, and Kristoff sat down, with no idea of what to do. Now Elsa was acting like he had expected; but he barely knew her. He had a feeling that _sorry about your awful life_ wouldn't really cut it.

"Listen, you won't help Anna by crying," He finally said. Elsa looked up. "Elsa, aren't you tired of feeling so horrible about everything?"

"You mean guilty? Like I'm responsible?" Elsa rubbed her eyes. "But I'm Anna's older sister. Shouldn't I get upset when this happens?"

Kristoff jumped up; he crushed the can in his hand. "NO!" He shouted, "You're supposed to get mad! That douche bag is putting his hands on your sister! Your job is to find him and _beat his ! #$%^&*_ until he promises to leave her alone!"

Elsa's jaw clenched and Kristoff was afraid that _maybe_ he didn't say the right thing. But he didn't see anger directed at him; he saw determination. Feeling inspired, he continued.

"He has no right to do that, does he?" He asked. Elsa rubbed her hands on her thighs.

"You're right," She said hesitantly, "He doesn't." And then, with more conviction:

"I am going to _kill_ that little manipulative son-of-a-"

"That's exactly the attitude—and I'll come with you." Kristoff got up, reaching a hand out to his new ally. "You might need help if things get ugly."

Elsa took his hand, getting up. "Come on," Elsa answered, "We'll take my car. Do you know where he lives?"

"Wait, wait, we're going now? At ten at night?" He asked, stopping abruptly.

"Of course we're going now! I'm not leaving him alone with my sister for one second longer than I have to!" She stomped out the door, grabbing her car keys on the way out. "I see a dog waiting out there. Is he yours? He can stay in the back seat."

Kristoff started following again, and as he watched a red blotchiness spread up Elsa's pale neck, he started to think that maybe he had gotten Elsa a little too excited.


	8. Chapter 8

Elsa had gone to relatively normal, to crying hysterically, to homicidal, all in the span of a couple of hours. As if that wasn't bad enough, the anger made her a reckless driver. It seemed like she was trying to make up for the months of neglect by honing in on her goal now with laser focus. Which made her forget things …like stop signs, for instance, or even which side of the road a car should be driving on; Kristoff thanked God that it was so late. There weren't any other cars on the road.

"Where did you say he lived?" Elsa asked. Kristoff gave her directions again, and Elsa turned the wheel sharply when she realized they needed to turn on a road. Sven barked as he was thrown to the side from the inertia.

"Elsa, maybe we should get a game plan in order?" Kristoff asked tentatively.

"Simple plan. Find Hans. Kill him. Take Anna home." Elsa answered.

"Well, I don't want to actually kill him. That's not your plan, right?"

"Not if I don't have to," Elsa said cryptically.

"It's, uh, just…Hans has twelve older brothers. All athletes. The oldest is a tri-state wrestling champ. So if he ends up waking them up I'm not sure if I can help you…" He gulped, "That is, if Hans and Anna are at his house."

Elsa slammed on the brakes. "What do you mean _if_?"

"Well, he kind of hates his family, so he doesn't really like bringing Anna around, you know?"

"So they can be anywhere in town right now."

"Didn't Anna text you?"

"Only to say she'd be back by eleven! I didn't bother to ask like an idiot…" She hit the wheel in frustrated, making the car horn blast. "What now?"

"Well, we can drive around until we stumble upon them by some miracle…or we can wait for Hans and Anna to show up at your house?"

"He doesn't normally come inside. Anna…" Her voice was strangled, "I think she is a bit embarrassed by me."

"He'll stay if he sees me." Kristoff assured her. As she turned, Kristoff heard a rattling noise in the glove compartment. He opened it to find a bottle of pills.

"Those are mine," Elsa said, "I forgot I still had them…hand them to me when we stop, will you?" Kristoff obliged, and when they pulled back into her driveway Kristoff placed them in her hand.

"Thank you," She said. She walked up to the porch, sitting on a wicker rocking chair, jiggling her leg nervously. As the initial adrenaline rush of anger subsided, she was overcome with nerves. Kristoff sat on one of the steps leading up to the porch, hands on his knees. Sven lay down at his feet.

He felt bad for her. Elsa seemed like her mind was being held together by crazy glue and paper clips, constantly on edge. She wanted to be a good sister but had no idea how. Kristoff didn't really blame Anna for wanting to stay out of the house; she had already exhausted Kristoff, and he only knew her for a few hours.

"Is that the car?" Elsa asked, shaking Kristoff out of his thoughts. Kristoff saw the old red pickup truck that Hans drove, coming down the street. He looked at Elsa and nodded, and the older woman took a breath.

"Here I go," She said, rubbing her hands. "Wish me luck."

"Hey, I'm right beside you," Kristoff assured her, "Mostly to make sure you don't kill him. We want maimed, but alive, alright?"

Elsa looked at him, the barest trace of a smile flashing across her features briefly before her mouth became a hard line of determination.

Anna jumped out of the passenger side, looking absolutely thrilled. "I'll see you Hans, okay?" She called. Kristoff called out to him before he hit the gas.

"Hey, Hans!" As he suspected, the car stopped. Hans parked the car, getting out and leaning against the door.

"Kristoff, what are you doing here?" Hans asked.

"No reason," Kristoff answered, shrugging. "I thought Anna forgot her phone so I went to her house. Apparently it wasn't hers. Stupid of me, huh?"

Anna eyed her sister on the porch suspiciously. "Kristoff, did you meet my sister?"

"What? Yeah. We had a pretty nice conversation about you guys."

Hans, who was not an idiot by any means, walked away from the car and placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. "What the hell are you guys talking—"

"Get your hands off of my sister!" Elsa shouted, jumping out of her seat. "I know what you've done to her, and I am going to _kill_ you."

So much for Kristoff's plan of easing into that part of the conversation. "You can see that Elsa is a little upset," Kristoff admitted.

Hans put a protective arm around her waist. "You were right Anna," Hans said, "Your sister is a mental case. And you," He looked at Kristoff, "You told Anna's sister on me?"

"You're lucky I didn't go to the police," Kristoff answered, crossing his arms.

"Police? You are ridiculous man. Really ridiculous. Anna, tell them I haven't laid a finger on you."

Anna looked at Hans, and then back at her sister, silently shaking her head 'yes'.

"See?"

"What about what you told me on the phone?" Kristoff asked.

"That? I'd hardly call that abuse man. If I was such a monster, why would Anna agree to wear my class ring the same night?"

"Because you're brainwashing her!" Elsa shouted. "Kristoff told me all about you, how you treat women—he dated our cousin Anna, did you know that?"

"Wait, what?" The three others said at the same time. Elsa nodded sagely.

"Our cousin Rapuzel, when she was living with our Aunt Gothel. She turned out to be crazy, so she moved so she could live with our grandparents. I didn't make the connection before, but how many Rapunzels lived here? Kristoff told me everything—"

Anna frowned. She took a step forward. "I didn't know that…but I never told him Rapunzel was my cousin. Why would he tell me?"

"Exactly!" Hans said defensively. "Okay, it's my turn. You really going to believe everything Kristoff tells you Elsa? It ever occur to you that maybe he just wants to break us up so he can swoop in and have Anna to himself?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Kristoff groaned. "Maybe I do care about Anna, alright? But I just want her to be safe—"

"Yeah right," Hans sneered.

"You know what? I don't care." Elsa snarled. She stomped down her lawn, pulled Anna behind her (she yelped) and jabbed Hans in the chest. "I won't stand here and pretend I've been a great sister. But I will not stand by and watch Anna do this to herself. Anna, you're not seeing this man anymore."

"You—you can't do that!" Anna protested, "Why can you tell me what to do?"

"Because I am your older sister, and I need to take care of you." Elsa answered.

"Take care of me?" Anna said, "_Take care of me_?" Elsa turned to look at her sister, who was standing with fists clenched.

"When have you 'taken care of me'? When mom and dad died and you didn't say a single word to me when I saw you at the funeral? When I'd come home crying and you'd just hole up in your room and tell me you 'couldn't handle it right now'? When you stopped taking your medication because _you_ didn't like it? Why do you suddenly care? Hans cares about me! He might have a…a temper…" She faltered slightly, but pressed on more firmly, "But he loves me, and he listens to me, and he doesn't ignore me like you've done my entire life, Elsa! Why can't you just leave me ALONE?"

Elsa bit her lower lip so hard Kristoff thought it might start to bleed. She looked at the ground; she had lost. She couldn't muster up any more righteous anger. All of her bravado was gone.

"And you," Anna continued, looking at Kristoff, "I thought you were my friend. Hans was right about you."

"Damn right," Hans said, "Kristoff, if you weren't my best friend, I would have broken your nose by now." Hans walked toward Anna, grabbing her hand gently. Elsa just watched, hurt. "Come on Anna. My parents will let you stay if you agree to sleep on the couch—"

Kristoff didn't even know what had happened; one second he was watching him lead Anna away, the next he had grabbed his arm, rearing his fist back and punching him in the face.

"Kristoff!" Anna screeched; she pulled Kristoff's shirt, trying to drag him off, but he was far too strong for her. Hans had the disadvantage of being surprised, but quickly fought back. Kristoff may have been bigger, but Hans was a hockey player; he was certainly no stranger to fights.

"What the hell are you doing man?" Hans shouted, pushing Kristoff in the chest and making him stumble back. Kristoff grabbed the back of Hans's shirt to stop him from running away.

"Trying—to get you—to leave Anna alone!" He punched Hans in the stomach, and he fell on his knees with a hiss as air left his lungs. "Are you going to?"

"No," Hans gasped, "Go to hell."

He would have continued, possibly kicking him, but he saw the two girls out of the corner of his eye. Anna was silently weeping, covering her mouth with her hands. Even Elsa, who had no problem with Hans dying before, was now looking at him in horror.

What was he _doing?_

Kristoff grabbed Hans by his shirt again, lifting him back up. "Sorry." He said curtly. "I'm sorry Anna. Sorry Elsa." He looked at Hans, who was catching his breath. "Sven, we're going home."

He whistled for his dog, and he obediently walked over, leash dragging along the ground. Kristoff grabbed it, walking down the driveway, ignoring Anna doting fretfully over Hans, and Elsa just staring at the two, defeated.


End file.
